Closure for containing vessels.



l. E. DOLDT. CLOSURE FORCONTAINING VESSELS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1913- 1,153,897. PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

" UNIT ST TES PATEN OFFICE,

JOHN E. pOLIJT, OE PORTLA D, MAINE, ASSIGNOR To NATIONAL ME AL sEAL CORPORATION, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CLOSURE FOR CONTAINI G VESSELS To all whom it may concern- Be it known that 1, JOHN DOLDT, a citizen of the United States, res1d1ng at Portland, county of Cumberland, State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Containing-Vessels, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to closures 'forcontaining vessels and particularly to -closures for that class'of-receptacles which: are subject to frequent opening, and which must be tightly sealed when closed.

The present invention contemplates a container having a series of spaced lugs about its mouth and a closure having a depending skirt provided with inturned spring lips adapted for engagement with said lugs by rotation of the closure. The lips of the 'cap are considerably longer than the lugs of the container and are underturned substantially horizontally and meet. the cap skirt at substantiallv a right angle. The lips therefore serve as trusses to brace the can rim against serious buckling or distortion as the cap is tightened and assist to draw the capdownwardly and inwardly on to the container.

This affords a lug engaging surface which is inherently resilient to permit the lipsto yield in passing .over the lugs while possessing sufiicient rigidity to prevent permanent distortion of the cap skirt.

The structure and principle of the closure will be more fully, set forth in the specification which follows, and in the drawings which form a part of that specification, I have shown an embodiment which has been found well adapted to practical use and the requirements of manufacture.

Throughout specification and drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a container with a closure in accordance with my invention applied thereto, the cap being shown in section, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig.3 is

a bottom plan view of the cap with the relative positions of a lug indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of one of the container lugs on an exaggerated scale with dotted lines diagrammatically illustrating the positions of the edge of the lip of the cap as in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a side elevation on an exaggerated scale of one of the container lugs with the planes of engage- "j' I Specification of Letters Patent.

ment by the cap lip indicated, and Fig. 6 is a vertical central section of a lug with dottedjvertical contour lines and the positions of the cap lip indicated.

' For the purpose of adequately disclosing my invention I have been compelled to deal with it largely from a diagrammatic stand polnt, and the various figures of the draw:

ings are of necessity exaggerated to show the relative phases of engagement of the cap with the container.

H v Patented Sept. 21, 1915 Aprlicatiionmed May 28,1913. Serial No. 770,323.

I have indicated at 1 a container which may be of any desired size, form or material having a shoulder 2 about its mouth. In practice, this container is usually made of opal or flint glass, and it is to this class of containers that my closure is particularly adapted. About tainer I form a plurality of spaced lugs 3, the specificform of which will be more fully disclosed hereinafter.

The closure for the container consists-of a cap 4. provided with a pack 5. The cap. 1s formed'about its periphery with a depending flange or skirt 6, which has spaced about its edge a plurality of inturned lips 8 with their inner edges extending across in substantially the line of a chord. These lips 8 are spaced so as to leave gaps 7 Of sufiicient size to permit the passage of the lugs 3. The portion of the flange included between said gaps 7 form segmental lips 8which, during the rotation of the cap, niove in and under the lugs 3 and effect an exceedingly secure engagement of the cap on the container. The cap being made of metal has a certain the shoulder of the conamount of flexibility and increases the cam engagement as will be seen by reference to Figs. 5 and 6, in which the upward and horizontal curvature of. the lugs appear. The upward curve starts from the center of the front face of the lug and gradually'slopes seated and unseated by the partial rotation in either direction. The horizontal curving the beveled under face-11 thereof.

I of the under face of the lug 3 as indicated at 10 gives a second cam action radial in its line of direction and effective to cause the lips of the cap to ride in under the faces of the lug and reach their point of tightest engagement at the center of the lugs, which point is, as will be remembered, the maximum height of the cam. I therefore round off each corner of the lug as indicated by the reference numeral 10. It is with these rounded corners that the cap lips first engage when being applied to the lugs. The under face ofthe lug is also slightly beveled upwardly from rear to front, which inclined face provides a cam surface 11. Asthe cap lip approaches the center of the lug it is gradually working under said inclined face 11 and the engagement is becoming tighter and tighter reaching its maximum degree of tightness at the center of the lug. This action I have attempted to illustrate diagrammatically in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. In these figures I have shown several of the infinite number of phases of movement of one of the lips 8 in engaging a lug. The diagrams are of necessity exaggerated to bring out the action clearly.

In applying the'cap to the container the gaps or slots 7 are first brought in line with the lugs of the container. The cap is then' pressed down over the lugs and may be turned in either direction. At the beginning of this rotation the adjacent bearing edge of each lip is in the position indicated by dotted lines a in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, and just clears the lug. As the cap is turned the lip gradually engages one of the cam faces 9 of the lug and at the same time it is bearing in under one of the rounded shoulders 10 of the lug and making its way in along position of the lip relative to the lug is indicated by the dotted line b and may be termed the intermediate phase of movement, although this expression is not strictly speaking true, since the movement is-a gradual and varying one and is really composed of an infinite number of imperceptible phases. The idea to be conveyed, however, is that the lip has begun to be forced in under the cam face 11 of the lug and is gradually approaching the shoulder 2 of the container. The continued rotation of the cap brings the lip into the position indicated by the dotted lines 0. Here the lip is represented as having reached the maximum height of the lug and the maximum degree of tightness of engagement of lip and lug has been attained. In other words, the center of the lip has reached the center of the upward cam face of the lug and the finger has been forced in along the inclined under face 11 of the lug as near to the shoulder of the container as it can go. lfilllS position the cap is locked against anything but This an intentional magica to unseat This displacement may be either a continued forward turn of the cap or it may be a reverse turn, the effect in either instance being to disengage the lips from their camming engagement with the lugs.

By forming the inturned ends of the lips 8 on the line of a chord, the lips serve as trusses to brace the cap rim against serious buckling or distortion as the cap is tightened. This form of lip provides a lug engaging surface which is inherently resilient but none the less possesses considerable rigidity, that is to say, while the lip is sufficiently resilient to permit it to pass over the cam surfaces of the lugs, at the same time it is so disposed as to brace the cap rim against buckling. Where the engaging member has been a simple hooked finger, both it and the'cap rim have been liable to permanent distortion because there was not present sufficient rigidity to resist the stress produced in setting the cap. The lips 8 of the present device are considerably longer than the lugs and being disposed on the lines of chords not only brace the cap rim as a truss, but serve to draw the cap downwardly and inwardly on the container.

Various modifications in the form and dis position of the parts may obviously be made and the lips and lugs reversed from cap to container, all without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1 In combination with a container having relatively short spaced lugs about its mouth each lug having an upwardly beveled lower face and having lateral cam surfaces sloped toward each other from opposite ends of the lug, a closure for said container having relatively long resilient lips disposed for progressive engagement with said lateral cam surfaces of the lugs, said lips terminating in an inwardly directed edge disposed for engagement with the under faces of said lugs whereby to draw said closure downward y and inwardly on to the container.

2. In combination with a container hav- Ill 3. In combination with a container having relatively short spaced lugs. about its mouth, each lug having an under bearing surface and a lateral .engaging portion rounded both upwardly and laterally, a closure for said container comprising a cap having a depending skirt, and relatively long resilient lips extending inwardly from said skirt, the inner edges of said lips meeting and forming a juncture with the edge of the skirt.

4. In combinationwith a container having relatively short spaced lugs about its mouth, each lug having an under bearing face and having a lateral engaging face, a closure for said contamer comprismg a cap having a depending skirt, and relatively long inwardly directed resilient lips on said skirt, each lip substantially in the form of a segmentand connected to said skirt at its ends in truss relation thereto.

5. In combination with a container having relatively'short spaced lugs about its month, each lug having an under bearing face and having a lateral engaging portion, a closure for said container having relatively long resilient lips disposed for progressive engagement with said lateral faces of .the lugs, said lips each terminating in an inwardly directed edge disposed for engagement with the under faces of said lugs whereby to draw said closure downwardly and inwardly on to the container.

6. In combination with a container having relatively short spaced lugs about itsmouth, each lug having an under bearing face and having a lateral engaging face, a closure -for'said container comprising a cap having a depending skirt, relatively long inwardly directed resilient lips on said skirt connected to said skirt at their ends in subtending truss relation thereto.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence "of two witnesses.

J 01m E. DOLDT. Witnesses:

H. E. BEVERAGE, M. D. DUTILE. 

